Distribution of the weight of a backpack across several muscle groups reduces strain on the body of the user, which in turn decreases fatigue and enhances safety. Increasing the surface area of the contact between shoulder straps and the body by attaching padding to the shoulder straps decreases pressure at the pressure points on the user's body, thereby enhancing comfort and preventing injuries. An additional option for distributing weight of the backpack is implementation of hip-belts, which share the weight of the load with shoulder pads.
Versatility remains a key aspect for backpack design, and an ideally designed product can be used by individuals of widely varying heights, weights, and overall body type. Obtaining an optimal fit to the body of an individual user is an important consideration for hip-belts as well. Any deviation from an optimal fit diminishes both the safety and the comfort of hip-belts, and, consequently, of the backpack of which they are a part.
Conventional hip-belt adjustment systems attempt to address this issue by employing hook-and-loop panels, such as Velcro™. These systems, however, require the user to remove the entire hip-belt from the pack in order to readjust it to fit a user. This requires the user to remove the pack, detach the hook-and-loop, adjust the size of the belt accordingly, center the hip-belt system back onto the frame, and fasten it in place.
These systems have several drawbacks. First, these systems inject a large degree of approximation (i.e. inaccuracy) in each hip-belt adjustment. Because the attachment of hook-and-loop elements entails pressing one surface against another, there is a potential to position one end higher or lower than intended, or to place the belt off-center each time the adjustment is made. This “guess work” hinders the fit between the hip-belts and the user's body, thus diminishing the weight distribution. Second, the process of placing the hip-belts on and taking them off the backpack frame is cumbersome, tedious, and significantly inconvenient to the user.
Accordingly, there is a need for a backpack which features hip-belts that can be accurately, securely, and easily customized to the body of a user.